


it all comes down to what we're feeling now

by okaystop



Category: Crooked Media RPF
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baseball, Dating, Family, Kid Fic, Los Angeles, M/M, Nonbinary Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:57:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21682255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okaystop/pseuds/okaystop
Summary: If this were a date, Dan might ask Tommy how he's settling into Los Angeles or ask about his job, what brought him to LA. He might ask Tommy what he likes to do for fun or if he wanted to try that new taco place just around the corner. He might ask if he played baseball too, when he was younger, and if so, did he want to join Dan's rec league men's softball team.But this wasn't a date.
Relationships: Dan Pfeiffer/Tommy Vietor
Comments: 10
Kudos: 32
Collections: Crooked Secret Santa 2019





	it all comes down to what we're feeling now

**Author's Note:**

  * For [speakingwosound (sev313)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sev313/gifts).

> I'm really excited about Crooked Secret Santa and writing this fic for you sev. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> With special thanks to my beta for helping me work through this multiple times over.
> 
> Title taken from the song "Inside You" by the Clarks.
> 
> -

"Ellie, let's go. You don't want to be late to your first practice." Tommy called up the stairs, holding Lucca's leash in one hand and the car keys in his other. The dog sniffed at his shoes and tried to figure-eight through Tommy's legs.

"I can't find my hat!" His eleven-year old daughter, Eleanor, punctuated her shout with a frustrated growlish whine. 

He did a quick scan of the living room as he unwound Lucca's leash from being caught around his legs. He leaned forward to look over what he could see of the kitchen. Her baseball bag was on its side by the door to the garage, the black brim of a hat poking out of it. "It's in your bag. Come on. We have to go now."

"No," she said. "I mean my Red Sox hat. I can't find it."

"You're not wearing your Red Sox hat to practice. We talked about this. That hat doesn't get dirty." They'd talked about this before, in fact. Multiple times.

"I don't want to wear it to _practice_," Ellie said in that tone that sounded so much like her mother that Tommy pulled a face. "I want to wear it in the _car_." She appeared at the top of the stairs, hands fisted on her hips. 

Tommy sighed. They didn't have time for an argument about this, but they also didn't have time to go all-out on a search for the hat. He rubbed his face. "Where do you last remember seeing it?"

Ellie shook her head, half of her lower lip between her teeth in thought. "I _think_," she said, "that I had it on Sunday when we went over to Uncle Jon and Aunt Emily's."

The image of his daughter splashing around in the Favreaus' pool with Lucca and Leo passed through his mind. "You went swimming," he said. "Get in the car. It's probably at their house. I'll text Jon and make sure, but we really have to go now. We're already pushing it. You don't want to be late for your first practice, do you?"

She scrunched up her face like she had more to say, but when Tommy lifted a hand and an eyebrow, she snapped her jaw shut again. "Oh _fine_," she said, eyes narrow as she stomped down the stairs. "But next time I'm wearing it to practice."

He opened the door to the garage and ushered her through, baseball bag and all. "In the car on the way to practice, _maybe_," he said, closing the door behind him and ignoring the pout on her face as he helped Lucca hop into the car then climbed in after her. Carefully, he backed out onto the street with the soft hum of NPR the only sound in the car.

It wasn't until he was pulling into a parking spot that maybe wasn't actually a legal space that Ellie spoke up again. "Are you sure this is gonna be okay?" she asked, voice much more timid than it had been when she was arguing with him back at home. She unbuckled her seat belt and poked her head up between the front seats.

"What? That you don't have your Red Sox cap? Don't worry, Jon said it's at his house so I'll grab it from him tomorrow -"

"No," she said. "This. Baseball. Instead of softball."

Tommy turned off the car's engine and unbuckled his seatbelt so he could turn to look at her. "El," he said, "yes, it's absolutely fine. This league is a-okay with girls playing baseball, so you don't have anything to worry about."

"Will there be any other girls playing too?"

He considered that for a moment. "You know, I'm not sure. I didn't think to ask that when I registered you. What's got you all worried about it? You were really excited when we signed you up." She shrugged, and Tommy thought about not pressing and then pressed anyway. "Eleanor?"

She heaved a big sigh, her go-to whenever he used her full name. "I was telling mom about it on Facetime last night and she asked why wasn't I playing softball and I told her why, that I liked baseball better and I want to play it and you said it was okay and all she said was that she hoped no one on my new team got upset that I was playing baseball with them instead of playing softball with the other girls."

Tommy bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn't roll his eyes. He tried very hard not to cloud his daughter's opinion of her mother, but sometimes his ex made it so hard. "There is nothing wrong and nothing to get upset about if you want to play baseball instead of softball. Period. Full stop. End of story." He tweaked her cheek until he got a smile out of her. "Get it?"

She puffed up her cheeks and laughed. "Got it."

"Good," he said. He kissed her cheek with a loud smack. "Now get out of the car. Everyone's out on the field already."

Ellie's eyes widened and she scrambled out of the car, the weight of her baseball bag almost overbalancing her, but she righted herself. "I'm going, I'm going," she said, and then both the girl and the bag ran with a waddle across the grass to the ball field. 

Tommy watched for a moment before gathering his keys, messenger bag, the water bottle she left behind, and Lucca, and heading over there himself. Lucca barked and stopped to smell just about every weed and stick along the way, and by the time Tommy settled onto the bleachers with a few of the other parents, the kids had already paired off and were working on their throwing.

He sat on the far side of the first row of bleachers, Lucca chewing on grass at his feet, and dug his iPad out of his messenger bag. No sense in not getting a little work done while he had the time. Watching eleven-and-twelve-year-olds run baseball drills on day one wasn't exactly enthralling. And it looked like the rest of the parents, most of whom gave him a wave and a nod as he sat down, had their own things to occupy their time, too, so he didn't feel too bad about not socializing.

Tommy got swept up in his bad habit pastime - trolling politicians on Twitter ("idiots, all of them") - and missed the majority of practice. He looked up when Ellie called out to him from the players' bench. Lucca lifted her head, barked, then rose and galloped over to her ahead of Tommy, nearly tripping over the leash trailing behind her.

"Hey, everything okay?" Tommy asked, pushing his iPad into his bag on his way over to his daughter.

She smiled, hair falling loose from her ponytail, around her cheeks. "Yeah, just, Coach Dan wanted to talk to you." She shrugged and sat on the bench, starting to untie her baseball spikes.

Tommy's attention shifted down toward home plate, where Coach Dan, with his back to Tommy, was talking to two other parents. 

Tommy hadn't met Coach Dan in person yet, only spoken with him on the phone after he called to make sure Tommy meant to sign his daughter up for boys' baseball rather than girls' softball. It had been a good conversation and hadn't taken any more than Tommy's "yes, she wants to play baseball, and yes, she's good at it, too" to satisfy the coach. Tommy had been prepared to make a whole argument, had even made a list. It was refreshing that he hadn’t needed to use it.

Looking over at him, Tommy supposed he appeared a lot like he imagined he might, based on that one phone call, Dan's gruff but kind voice in his ear. Coach Dan was a big guy, slightly taller than Tommy, and broad in the shoulders and neck. As Coach Dan walked toward him, Tommy noticed that he carried a little weight around the middle, like a slim teddy bear. He also realized, with a jolt, that he found Coach Dan immediately attractive. 

When he stuck out his hand for Tommy to shake, Tommy realized he'd been staring and replaced the look on his face with a wide smile. "You must be Ellie's dad," he said. "I'm Dan Pfeiffer. Coach Dan, as the kids call me."

"Tommy Vietor," he said, holding onto Dan's firm grip for a moment too long. The color of Dan's eyes matched the bright summer sky, and Tommy cleared his throat before continuing. "Good to meet you face to face. I'm glad Ellie's on your team. She's really excited about playing."

"That's great to hear," Dan said. "She's got a great arm, from what I've seen. I have a few questions for you about that, in fact, do you have a minute? Mostly, I wanted to know -" He stopped himself short and shook his head, sheepish. He seemed to change tactics right there in front of Tommy with a shrug. "Actually, now's probably not the best time since I have to clean up the field and talk to some of the other parents, but would you be free for a beer or something this weekend?"

From Dan's tone, Tommy didn't suspect that the questions he had were negative or bad in any way, so the invitation surprised him. His heart punched forward before he answered. "Uh - sure, I don't see why not." It was just a beer with his daughter's baseball coach, Tommy reminded himself. Just because he found him attractive didn't mean it was anything else at all. 

"Great," Dan said. He put a hand on Tommy's shoulder, smiled at him. "I'll text you with details." And then he was stepping away, reaching his hand out to greet another parent, and leaving Tommy feeling slightly unbalanced. 

"Dad!" Ellie said in a way that made it clear to him it wasn't the first time she said it. He snapped his attention to her. "Lucca just pooped. Do you have any poop bags? Also, can you clean it up?" She sidestepped around the pile of dog poop, scrunching up her nose at it.

Tommy dug a poop bag out and cleaned it up. "Let's go. Pizza for dinner?" he asked, and Ellie cheered. He called for Lucca, too, as they walked back to the car.

\--

"Wait, who are you going out with tonight?" Jamie asked from behind the open refrigerator door, where they were moving everything around to, likely, get to the soda. "Is this another _online date_?"

Dan took the can of Mountain Dew out of his twelve-year-old's hand and replaced it with a bottle of water. "No, this isn't an online date. It isn't a date at all."

Jamie looked at the water bottle and sighed with their whole body, but didn't argue. Just uncapped it and chugged down a third of it before wiping their mouth with the back of their hand. "Then what is it? Because you're doing that thing you do before a date, where you pace in front of the mirror and try on like ten different shirts."

Dan felt his face get hot. He had no idea he was that obvious, or that he even had a tell like that. He also knew that despite the fact that getting a beer with Ellie Vietor's dad wasn't a date, he still felt the stirring of nerves in his stomach because maybe he _wanted_ it to be a date. 

It started when Dan called after league registration to make sure that Tommy had meant to sign his daughter up for baseball and it wasn't just an administrative error. Once that was cleared up, he found himself enjoying the short conversation, the pitch of Tommy's voice. Then he met him at the team's first practice and _really_ liked what he saw. He'd felt an immediate snarl in his stomach that said 'I find this man very attractive and would like to do something about it.' But he put all that aside and focused on responding to his kid's teasing.

He cleared his throat. "It's just grabbing a beer with someone," Dan said.

"Uh huh," Jamie said, crossing their arms. Even though Jamie looked nothing like Dan, their stance was eerily similar to his. "Who?"

"The dad of one of the kids on the team," Dan said, knowing that wouldn't be explanation enough for Jamie.

Jamie narrowed their eyes. "Which one?"

"Ellie," Dan said simply. He decided to move past this discussion and get out the door. "I asked Alyssa to check in on you while I'm out so don't get any big ideas about misbehaving or whatever."

Jamie rolled their eyes. "Dad, when have you ever known me to do anything like that."

They had a point, that much was true. "That doesn't mean I stop saying it." Dan ruffled their dark hair, recently streaked through with lime green, and put the can of Mountain Dew back in the fridge. "Stick with water. I don't want you up after midnight, not even for gaming. Got it?"

Jamie shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, got it." They nudged past Dan then shot a grin over their shoulder. "Ellie's dad, was he the pale blond one? Kind of preppy? Had the dog that looks like a muppet?"

Dan hoped there wasn't some embarrassing expression on his face when he nodded. "Yeah, that's him."

"Huh, doesn't seem like your type," Jamie said before turning the corner and disappearing into the living room. A moment later, Dan heard the tell-tale sounds of the PlayStation booting up.

"Not a date," Dan said, probably not loudly enough. He didn't need to explain himself to anyone, let alone his kid. Was he really that blatant about having a type, or was Jamie really that observant?

He remembered one of the earliest ways Jamie's case worker described them while Dan was going through the fostering and adoption process. "Jamie's extremely observant," she told him. "They may be quiet and come across as introverted, but that's because they're always paying attention to everyone else." It wasn't a bad thing, and Dan had seen it manifest in various ways over the last few years, but turned on him like this?

Dan didn't think that Tommy wasn't his type any more than he thought that he even had a type. Tommy was attractive and Dan liked attractive men. Tommy was sporty and Dan liked sports. Tommy had a kid and Dan had a kid. But even with all of those arguments, that still didn't make this anything more than Dan asking a fellow team parent out for a beer to find out more about his kid. Even if he hadn't done it with any other parents since he started coaching. 

It _wasn't_ a date, Dan told himself, again, as he sat at the kitchen table and pulled on his shoes. It wasn't intended to be one when he asked and it wasn't one now. He didn't know Tommy Vietor's preferences or even if he was single (though he hadn't been wearing a ring, Dan had noticed, at the field, because that was the kind of thing he noticed, especially with attractive men). He really had asked so that they could talk about Ellie. There was no reason to think or act like it was anything else but that.

"I'm leaving now," Dan shouted, waiting for a second until he heard Jamie reply back with a distracted "okay." Then he left, locking the door behind him.

The night before, he'd texted Tommy the address of a sports bar he liked, the place he usually went to watch the Sixers. It had the benefit of being only a short walk away from his house. Hopefully it wasn't too inconvenient for Tommy to get to. There wasn't a game on that evening, so it should be nice, not too busy but also not too intimate or anything either. Not that that’s what Dan was going for or anything.

Dan waved to Ted, the bartender, then found an open booth in clear sight of the door. He ordered a beer and set his phone face up on the table. Just in case something came up and Tommy had to cancel.

A few minutes later though, Tommy walked through the door. He spotted Dan quickly, ducked his head into a smile, and crossed to join him. "Hey," he said. He ordered himself a beer. "I hope there's no problems with you having Ellie on the team," he said, straight away.

Dan felt bad, realizing that Tommy might have been worried about that since he asked him out for a beer. He shook his head. "No, no of course not. It's just that I already know all the other kids and their parents - we've come up through the league together and most of them have been on my team before - and Ellie, and you, are new."

Tommy's shoulders relaxed, the flush on his cheeks fading. "Ah, okay. Yeah. We moved out here from near Washington, DC after the holidays, too late to join the spring season."

Dan smiled. He'd spent a few years in the political world in DC before making a move out west, where the pace was slower, more relaxing, better for his heart and body. "Is this her first baseball team?" 

Tommy waited to answer, his beer arriving first. He sipped it and nodded. "Kind of. She played co-ed tee ball when she was five, but our league in DC said no to her moving up into baseball. She did softball, fast pitch, for the last five years and even played up. But she hasn't stopped asking about baseball. I'm glad this league okayed it."

Dan okayed it, he almost corrected, not the league. But he didn't want to make Tommy uncomfortable. Dan was the coach interested in taking on anyone who wanted to play. His own kid was non-binary. Ellie was a girl. Some of the kids had difficult parents or spent innings daydreaming in the outfield. Dan didn't care. Tommy would likely figure all that out for himself soon enough. "I'm glad to have her on the team. From what I've seen already, she's really good. She asked me if she could pitch. I know some parents are a little wary about that, given the relative risk involved, but - how do you feel about it?"

The corner of Tommy's mouth twitched. "We've actually been working on it for a few years. She pitched a little in softball too, so she's used to it in some ways, but her coach usually played her at shortstop. She'd probably tell you she'll play anywhere except first base, so that's up to you. I know she wants to pitch, and yeah, I'm good with it, if you have an opening for her there."

Dan rubbed his chin. "Sure, I mean, they're kids. I can use all the pitchers I can get." He wrapped both hands around his pint of beer and sat forward in his chair. "Would you be able to either bring her early or keep her late to practice next week, so I can see her pitch without the mess of everyone else there too?"

"Sure," Tommy said. "Staying after would probably be easier."

Dan nodded. "Great. I'm looking forward to it."

If this were a date, Dan might ask Tommy how he's settling into Los Angeles or ask about his job, what brought him to LA. He might ask Tommy what he likes to do for fun or if he wanted to try that new taco place just around the corner. He might ask if he played baseball too, when he was younger, and if so, did he want to join Dan's rec league men's softball team. 

But this wasn't a date. 

Maybe he'd get to ask all those questions one day, get a chance to focus on getting to know Tommy directly rather than sticking with the topic of their kids, but for now, Dan played it safe. He kept the conversation going around Ellie, which he had used to get Tommy out to have a beer with him in the first place. "What school is Ellie going to in the fall?" 

Tommy breathed out, shaking his head, almost laughing. He wiped the condensation off the side of his glass. "Oh, now there's a loaded question." But he smiled while he paused. "She'll be in sixth grade at Laurel Elementary, at least for another year. We moved too late to really work out better arrangements and she liked it last year, so … " 

Dan nodded in sympathy. "Yeah, I get it. Jamie - that's my kid - is at Hubert Howe, only because Jamie plays the oboe and wants to keep playing the oboe. Jamie wanted to put the focus there, so I caved and let them audition. Made the cut, so it's their second year. Jamie really likes it, though, so if it makes them happy, I'm happy. And it keeps their gaming down, too, at least during the school year."

Dan saw the look that crossed Tommy's face, the one most people get where they're too polite to ask or aren't sure how to ask. About Jamie. So Dan continued. "Jamie uses they and them pronouns. I adopted them about three years ago, out of a bad foster care situation."

"Is Jamie on the team too?" Tommy asked after a moment.

Dan smiled. "They play first base, yeah. I had to bribe them to play but they're good and most of Jamie's friends are on the team at this point, so that makes things easier."

"What did you bribe them with?"

"An oboe. Not used, not rented. Brand-new. Does Ellie play an instrument?" 

Tommy shook his head.

"They cost a small fortune, especially new. I told Jamie if they're serious about the oboe, I need to see it, but also that I didn't want to see it consume them. I believe in life balance above anything else, these days, so I gave them options, baseball being one of them. I was very glad when Jamie chose it. Of course, they also chose setting aside time on the Playstation, but what can you do." Dan liked seeing Tommy watch him, even if Dan was talking a lot. He did that sometimes when he was nervous. He probably shouldn't be talking this much, he realized, not if he wanted to know more about Tommy. And Ellie, too, of course. (But mostly Tommy.) "What about you?"

"With - Ellie?"

Dan nodded as he swallowed down the last of his beer. "Want another?" When Tommy nodded, Dan motioned for a second round.

"Ellie kind of just has sports. She'd probably play them all if she could, but I got her down to just baseball and swimming for the time being. Might swap swimming with soccer down the road but I like the, well, like you said, the balance."

"That's an unusual combination."

Tommy chuckled. "Yeah but the season overlap is minimal. I'm worried about how the differing movements are affecting her shoulders and arms, but her doctor isn't too worried so I'm trying not to let it bother me."

"Easier said than done, huh?" 

Tommy laughed again. "Yeah, I never really knew how worried I could feel until she was born."

This was easy, Dan thought as he agreed with Tommy, keeping the conversation hovering around their kids. And yet … well, he hadn't lied to Jamie, per se. This was never intended to be a date. It was just that now that Dan was here, on his second beer, Tommy across from him smiling and engaging, he had to admit to himself that yes, okay, if this could be a date, maybe he wanted it to be. Or at least the next one to be.

Dan was a communications professional; he could ask the right questions to get more information. Without prying. Besides, he had a little insider knowledge, having collected the emergency contact information for all the kids on his team. Which meant he knew that Ellie Vietor's alternate contact wasn't a mother or second father but were instead family friends, Jon and Emily Favreau. He decided to go for it and ask one of the questions he'd been mulling over as being too date-like. It straddled the line. "What brought you out to LA?" he asked a moment later.

Tommy slouched in his seat, shrugging. "Mostly the divorce. Well, that's not one-hundred-percent accurate. My ex is getting remarried, and that seemed like a sign that I should probably get out of DC."

"Ouch," Dan said. "Sorry."

Tommy waved him off. "More like a new start for me. And for Ellie, too."

"And that's - I mean, how does that work with your ex?" Dan leaned his forearms on the table. "It's just - I've got exes too - everyone does, right? But none of them lay claim to Jamie, thank god."

Tommy pressed his lips together tightly, so that they nearly disappeared. "She's not happy about it, but - I fought the custody battle and won. I can't imagine not having Ellie with me all the time. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have moved here if she couldn't come with me."

Dan hoped he didn't actually look as disappointed as he felt to learn that Tommy's ex was female. He covered his facial expression by drinking his beer. "Glad it seems to be working out."

Tommy tipped his glass toward him. "Me, too."

\--

"So when are you going to ask him out?" Emily asked it casually as she handed Tommy the bowl of fruit salad to take out back to the patio by the pool.

"What? Who?" Tommy had a pretty good guess as to who Emily meant, but it wasn't like that with him and Dan, so he played dumb. Emily was having none of it, and she leveled a look at him and didn't bother to answer. Tommy sighed and said his defense out loud. "It's not like that."

"No? What's it like then? Because from my perspective, seventy-five percent of the conversations we've had in the last month have included Coach Dan this, or Coach Dan that, which, honestly, Tommy, just call him Dan. He's not your coach, unless that's your kink or something."

Tommy imagined, based on how warm he felt and how the heat was spreading, that his face was the color of horrible sunburn. "What? No, I mean, no he's just - like, my first friend out here besides you guys."

Emily waited a moment, like she expected him to continue, but he didn't. "Okay, well why don't you invite your - 'new friend' - over here this afternoon. He has a kid too, right? We have a pool and dogs and food. And you're here, and Ellie's here. So -?"

"You want me to ask them over today?"

Emily shrugged. "Why not?"

Tommy looked at his phone, clutched in the hand not wrapped around the fruit bowl. "It's kind of last minute."

"And he can say no. Or he can say yes. You don't know unless you ask, so don't make me steal your phone and do it myself."

He stepped back as though she was going to swipe the phone off him right then. It wasn't a big deal, he told himself. Like Emily said, Dan could say no or he could say yes, and either answer would be fine. "Yeah, okay." Tommy forced a smile at Emily and walked himself, the bowl of fruit salad, and his phone outside.

Jon and Ellie were in the pool already, knocking a beach ball back and forth. Tommy stuck the bowl on the table and then sat on a chair. He flipped through on his phone to the thread of his text conversation with Dan. They'd had a spirited debate the night before about the way the MLB season was shaping up so far. 

He hesitated before typing out a new text. _Hey I know it's last minute but if you and Jamie are free, my friends Jon and Emily have a pool and we're cooking out this afternoon._

He was about to set his phone aside so it didn't appear like he was waiting for a reply when Dan texted back. _Sounds cool. What's the address and when should we be there?_

_Anytime._ Tommy typed back, along with the address. He breathed out, long and slow, a breath he hadn't intentionally been holding. 

"So he's coming then?" Emily asked from over Tommy's shoulder.

On impulse, Tommy pressed his phone against his chest so she couldn't look at the screen. Not that there was anything in their conversation history that she shouldn't see. His cheeks burned. "Uh, yeah, how could you tell?"

"The goofy smile on your face. You should just admit that you have a crush, Tommy. It'll be better for all parties involved."

Tommy glanced down to see that Dan had replied with a _see you soon_ and a smiling emoji. He passed his palm over his face, pushing his fingers against his lips to get rid of the smile Emily saw. He shoved his phone in his pocket. "Shut up," he muttered to Emily, but she only responded with a smug grin. Tommy lobbed a strawberry at her.

"Hey Jon," Emily called out. "I convinced Tommy to invite Coach Dan over so we'll finally get to meet him."

Jon smiled. "Good. It's about time we get a chance to vet him, before things get too serious." He and his wife shared a knowing laugh at Tommy's expense.

Ellie pushed herself out of the pool. "Is Jamie coming too?"

Tommy was glad to see that this whole conversation seemed to be over Ellie's head. He didn't need her asking questions about her dad having a crush (which he _didn't_) or dating someone (which he _wasn't_) or that Coach Dan - just _Dan_ \- was someone his best friends had to 'vet.' "Yeah, Jamie's coming too."

A smile spread out on Ellie's face. "Cool. I like them." Despite sitting on the side of the pool, Jon still whacked the beach ball at her when she wasn't paying attention. It hit her shoulder and she squealed and splashed back into the water. "No fair!" She pushed off the wall and lunged for Jon, who laughed and scooped her up into his arms, dunking her.

"You know, you're allowed to want," Emily said, pulling Tommy's focus away from the pool. He lifted his chin to look at her, not following. "To date. To have a crush. To _look_ at someone else and think they're attractive and hey, maybe you want to get to know them better."

Tommy pushed his hand back through his hair. "I know that," he said defensively. "I do. Just - Ellie is the most important person in my life right now, and I need to focus on her." It was the same excuse Tommy had been using since he split from Ellie’s mom, his insistence that the divorce and everything that went along with it didn't hurt Ellie's emotional well-being. As a kid who had gone through a divorce himself, Tommy wanted to make sure it had the least amount of impact as possible on his daughter. That desire had carried through with every life change, from his ex's new boyfriend (now husband), to Tommy's decision to move across the country. He didn't want to break the good thing they had going by focusing on himself because anything he did, relationship-wise, would surely have a direct impact on Ellie. 

"I know that," Emily said, "but it's okay to focus on you, too. Especially if you like Coach Dan."

"I don't like Coach Dan," Tommy muttered, and they both knew he was lying or maybe just that he really didn't want to admit it to anyone, especially not to himself. To his surprise, Emily let it go for now, and Tommy moved to a lounger by the pool to enjoy the warm summer afternoon.

When Dan and Jamie arrived less than an hour later, Tommy greeted them at the front door. He was glad he still had on a t-shirt with his swimsuit and wasn't bare-chested, pale and freckled, when he opened it. He didn't even know if Dan would want to see him without a shirt on, and he was self-conscious enough about his body that that could wait. Potentially. "Hey, come on in. Everyone's out back."

Dan smiled, blue eyes bright. "I brought some drinks and snacks." He carried two small coolers and Jamie had a grocery bag tucked against their chest.

"Great, that can all go out back too. Right through there." Tommy let Jamie go first then fell into step with Dan. 

"Thanks for the invite," Dan said, his elbow brushing Tommy's in a way that Tommy wasn't certain was accidental. He tried not to obsess about it. 

"Sorry it was so last minute."

Dan shook his head. "Didn't bother me. It was a good excuse to force Jamie away from the Playstation."

Tommy held open the back door for Dan then stepped out under the pergola behind him.

"Hi Coach Dan! Hey Dad! Watch this!" Ellie stood at the edge of the pool, toes hanging over the water, and then jumped in cannonball-style, making a splash so large that it splattered across Emily, getting her wet. 

She shrieked and jumped up, laughing, then crossed over to Tommy and Dan. "You must be Coach Dan," she said, holding out her hand.

"That's me. And, really, just Dan is fine." 

Tommy took the two small coolers Dan was holding from him so he could shake Emily's hand. He set them on the ground by the one already outside. 

"I'm Emily. My husband, Jon, is over there." Jon was in the pool with Ellie and Jamie, who had made straight for it when they got outside. "The goldendoodle is Leo, and you probably already know Tommy's dog, Lucca. Glad you could come. What can I get you to drink?"

"Thanks for having us," Dan said sincerely. He glanced at Tommy, beside him, with a smile. "Just a beer is fine," he said. "Anything cold."

"Hey, Dan Pfeiffer, is it?" Jon pushed himself out of the pool and shook off a little, taking the towel Emily held out for him. He stuck out his hand. "Jon Favreau. I worked in the Obama White House. You were comms director for Senator Bayh's exploratory committee, right?"

It took a moment, but then Dan smiled, laughing a little as he shook Jon's hand. "Yeah, that's right. Jon _Favreau_. Chief speechwriter, yeah? Small world, isn't it? It's great to see you again."

Tommy looked between the two of them, his mind going back over a decade ago, and he tried to place Dan into that world, the one he played a major part in, for a while. Until Ellie came along and he didn't anymore. He came up empty. "You were in politics?" he asked Dan, surprised. He hadn't brought it up before, though Tommy supposed neither had he. Of course, his tenure in politics had been put on a definite hold after Ellie was born.

Dan turned his attention to Tommy, making Tommy's heart race and his cheeks heat up. "Yeah, for a while. I stuck around for a few years after the senator decided not to run, but nothing worked out. I got into the private sector pretty quickly though, and I've been there ever since. Was that what you were doing in DC?"

Tommy scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, but not like Jon did. I spent most of Obama's '08 campaign in Iowa but didn't transition into the White House because - well, Ellie was born and I stayed home with her so my ex could - she worked for the First Lady, and we both wanted her to be able to stay in that role. It was - easier - for me to step back." 

Easier wasn't the right word, not to encapsulate the hours of arguing and back and forth that eventually got that result. It was _easier_ to give in when it happened. Tommy spent a lot of time exhausted from trying to make his ex see his side of the argument, and it usually ended with him relenting, even with something as big as this. Especially with something as big as this was. It was certainly an early sign that it wasn't going to work out between them in the end, once Tommy stopped trying to appease her in the hopes that she'd work a little harder at their relationship too. He was all give and it was too one-sided, in the end.

He didn't regret it except existentially, when he sometimes thought about the life he might have had if he'd accepted the job the President offered him in the White House. It wasn't a tangible regret, because it wasn't something that happened that he missed. It was just a 'what if?' How his life actually went wasn't something to regret at all. He had Ellie.

"Well, I imagine Ellie is worth it," Dan said. 

Tommy smiled. "Yeah, of course she is."

Jon asked Dan another question and they were off, talking politics, lamenting the horrible state of affairs right now in the world. And while Tommy offered an opinion or reaction here and there, the truth was, he wasn't paying much attention. Not to the conversation, at least.

But he was paying attention to Dan. The line of his jaw, the crinkle of skin at the corner of his eyes, the way he, unlike Jon, didn't talk with his hands but with his eyes, the set of his shoulders, his body leaning forward as he made a point. 

Tommy got caught staring at Dan's mouth, not even realizing that the word his lips were forming was Tommy's name. "Sorry," he said, face burning. "Uh, excuse me for a moment. Gotta pee." Tommy backed away and into the house, making straight for the bathroom. He didn't like the feeling of embarrassment that washed over him, but there was nothing he could do. He hadn't been listening and had been caught staring. That's what happened and Tommy just had to deal with it, even if in the moment his way of dealing with it was running away to the bathroom.

When he walked out, Dan stood there, a shoulder hitched against the wall, arms crossed. "All yours," Tommy said, stepping aside to let Dan have a turn. 

But Dan reached out, wrapped a hand around Tommy's elbow to keep him from walking away. "One sec," he said. "I don't want to make any wrong assumptions, but -"

"Assumptions about what?" Tommy's voice sounded strangled because Dan couldn't possibly be saying what Tommy wanted him to be saying.

"Your friend Jon implied …"

Tommy bit the inside of his cheek, waiting.

"He implied that you date men, even though your ex is a woman."

Tommy's heart beat so hard he thought it might try to leave his chest. "That's true, yeah," he said, "though to be honest, it's been a while since I've dated anyone at all, regardless of gender."

Dan smiled. His fingers moved up Tommy's bicep. "Jon also implied that you might be interested in me."

Tommy decided he'd have to have a little chat with his best friend about boundaries and implying things like this to other people, but it would have to wait until after he saw how this turned out. Again, he nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I'm interested if - you are."

"I am, too," Dan said, his voice low. He stepped closer to Tommy, spread his palm out against his upper arm. "Are you free next Friday night?"

"Yes," Tommy said. Too quickly, though he didn't know if he actually was free or not. "I can be."

"And do you like Thai food?"

"Sure." 

Dan thumbed the inside of Tommy's elbow. "Then I'll pick you up. Friday at seven."

"It's a date," Tommy said, breathing out into a smile that made his cheeks hurt in the best way. 

"Great." Dan slid past him into the bathroom, his big body brushing past Tommy, leaving him tingling and a little bewildered for a moment before he got himself together and went back outside with everyone else. If he was smiling too much, no one mentioned it, and for that Tommy was grateful.

\-- 

After a rogue thunderstorm forced the cancellation of the kids' first baseball game on Thursday and it was moved to Friday, Dan texted Tommy.

_Let's still plan to go out after_, he wrote. _Jamie and Ellie can come too._

_we're bringing our kids on our first date?_ came Tommy's reply.

Dan typed out three different responses before saying 'fuck it' and sending off _It'll help me keep my hands to myself._

He stared at his phone screen for at least a minute after reading Tommy's reply: _that's too bad_

Dan thought about that text exchange all day, and having Tommy and their date on his mind all the time was the only explanation he had for how he seemed to know the moment Tommy arrived at the field. He looked over toward the parking lot, felt his face go slack in a smile that Jamie would probably call dopey. 

Tommy looked good in a Red Sox cap. He wore a white "baseball dad" t-shirt that looked a tiny bit on the small side, not that Dan would complain about that, navy shorts ending just above the knee, and boatshoes. He caught Dan's eye and lifted a hand in greeting.

Beside him, Jamie nudged an elbow into his waist. "Seriously, Dad, stop being so obvious."

"What? I'm not," Dan insisted.

"You kind of are," they said. "Michael's mom looks super pissed off." Jamie snickered.

Michael's mom had been trying to get at Dan for years, despite Dan telling her, multiple times, that he wasn't interested and, also, more importantly, was gay. But some people just didn't like to take no for an answer. "Michael's mom has to get over it," he muttered.

Jamie swung their bat a little, shifting from foot to foot. "You can just put on a movie for me and Ellie later, you know, if you want. Like, we don't have to be entertained."

Dan wrapped an arm around their shoulders and squeezed Jamie against him. "Don't worry about that. Tommy and I will figure something out and have a good time whether you two are with us or not."

"I just don't want your date to be bad," Jamie said. They looked up at Dan from under the rim of a baseball cap, a half-smile shadowed by the concern on their face.

"Hey, if it's a bad date, then it's probably my fault, definitely not yours. So don't worry about that at all, just worry about the game and the tacos we're going to eat afterwards," Dan said. He considered saying something else, something self-deprecating, but Tommy delivered Ellie to the dugout, grabbing Dan's attention. "Hey," he said.

Tommy smiled. "Hey." His teeth pulled at his lower lip and for a moment he looked like he would say something else, but Ellie tugged her bag away from him. "Have a great game, El," he said, slapping his fingers lightly against the bill of her baseball cap. "Knock one out of the park."

Ellie rolled her eyes in a way that made Dan laugh. "Yeah, okay, Dad, let's not get anyone's hopes up." She grinned at Jamie and the two of them jostled their way over to the bench with their teammates.

Dan adjusted his own ball cap. "So, uh - I thought maybe we should just Postmates some tacos to my place after the game, if that works for you and Ellie." 

"Sounds great. Ellie suggested they just watch a movie or something so, how did she put it, 'you two can go and get your date on.'" Tommy smiled with his whole face, his cheeks bright.

"Funny," Dan said, "Jamie suggested a movie too. You don't think they're ganging up on us, do you?" He laughed.

Tommy shrugged. "If they are, at least it's in the right direction."

"Good point." One of the kids in the dugout shouted for Coach Dan, and he turned to see who it was. "I should -"

"Have a good game," Tommy said. He put a hand on Dan's shoulder, lingered for a moment. "I'll see you after. Hey Ellie, play hard!"

Ellie whined out a "Daaaaaad!" as Tommy walked away toward the bleachers where the rest of the parents had already congregated. 

Dan watched him go, eyes moving down from the t-shirt stretched across Tommy's shoulders to his well-defined calves. Was he a runner? Dan filed that question away for first date small talk. Another shout of his name brought his attention back to the team. They had a game to play and, hopefully, to win.

They won, surprisingly, thanks mostly in part to an excellent live drive up the middle, hit by Ellie in the top of the sixth that brought in two runs and put them ahead. Then, the kids managed a one-two-three inning in the bottom of the sixth.

The kids were high on their win, bouncing with energy and talking loudly, nearly incomprehensibly. "Hey, all right, calm down, I know everyone is very excited about our first game and first win. I'm so proud of you all. You played a great game, each of you. Everyone contributed something to our win, whether it was the best effort you could give or a great catch in the outfield or even just taking a walk so you could get on base. But, the game ball can only go to one person, so the first game ball of the season is going to someone who really -" How had Tommy put it earlier? "- knocked it out of the park. Congratulations, Ellie."

She blushed and ducked her head as all of her teammates cheered and jostled her around in high-fives and hugs. "Thanks, Coach Dan," she said, taking the baseball from him and cradling it as though it were precious.

"Now, I think Michael's mom has ice cream sandwiches for everyone, so get your gear and go find her for your ice cream." He got another round of cheers and then the whole team went into mild chaos as they all talked at once, stepped over each other to make sure they didn't miss their glove or bat or hat or whatever else.

Dan needed to wait until they were all out of the dugout so he could clean up the mess they left behind, so he hung back a few feet away and waited. He wasn't surprised when Tommy stepped up beside him, their arms brushing. 

"Ellie said you gave her the game ball," he said.

Dan nodded. "She played a great game. She's a great ball player." He turned his head enough to meet Tommy's eyes, his smile. "You still in the mood for tacos?"

"Among other things," Tommy murmured. 

Dan's smile widened. "I just need to finish up here and we can head out." 

Tommy and their kids helped out, which got them off the field and to Dan's house in pretty good time. They got there at the same time as their Postmated tacos, which Dan and Jamie carried inside and spread out on the kitchen table. "Dig in, Jamie and Ellie first. Drinks are in the fridge, so help yourself."

Once they were all stuffed full of tacos, Dan, in fact, did set the kids up with a movie, safe and comfortable on the sofa in the living room, while he and Tommy took their beers out to the back patio. Dan sat and Tommy followed suit, the two of them sharing one of the benches angled around a fire pit. 

"So, uh, when was your last first date?" Dan asked, breaking the getting to know you romantically bubble.

Tommy breathed out and swallowed down some of his beer. "Oh boy, I'm not sure. Nothing since we got to LA. I guess - I was set up on a few blind dates back in DC over the last year or so. Probably last November. October? A while." 

Dan knew how that went. He had a dry spell for a while there after bringing Jamie home for the first time. "All of my recent first dates have been from apps. Jamie teases me about it, but I don't know how else to do it anymore."

"You mean you don't pick up the parents of the kids on your baseball team all the time?" Dan liked the way Tommy's voice sounded when he teased, low and smooth. And the way he leaned toward Dan, their thighs pressed together.

"Oh yeah, I've gone through the whole team already. You're fresh meat."

Tommy laughed. His neck was flushed, his smile wide. "Dating at our age is ridiculous," he said, his tone dropping, going slightly more serious. 

"Especially as single parents," Dan added.

Tommy nodded. Dan saw his gaze lower, his lips part. Just enough of both for Dan not to mistake it for anything else. It warmed him all over to know that Tommy was thinking the same thing Dan was. 

Before Dan had a chance to take advantage of the situation, Tommy made the first move. His hand pressed down on Dan's thigh and he leaned in, his mouth sliding easily against Dan's. Dan lifted his hand so he touched Tommy's jaw. It was gentle and warm, and he pressed his thumb to his chin for a better angle.

Tommy sighed into the kiss, a soft, sweet sound that Dan thought he'd hear ringing in his mind for days, perhaps weeks. He opened his mouth, let Dan seek entry, and kissed like he didn't want to stop. Dan liked it. Very much. He brushed his fingers behind Tommy's ear, along the short hair at the back of his neck. Tommy's fingers squeezed Dan's thigh.

Dan pulled back first. "Getting right to it, huh?" he whispered.

Tommy's tongue flicked out to wet his lower lip. "The kids seem to approve," he said, "considering they let us disappear off on our own like this."

"How long before they check up on us, do you think?"

Tommy shifted enough so that he could look over Dan's shoulder and into the house through the sliding glass door. "I give it about ten more minutes," he said.

Dan hummed. "Then we'd better take advantage of those ten minutes." He moved his hand around Tommy's neck and drew him in again. They kissed for a while, taking the time to get to know each other's mouths. Dan liked the way Tommy kept his big hand spread out, palm down, against Dan's upper thigh, like he was holding them both steady. He liked that Tommy tasted like beer, faintly of the cilantro he'd put on his tacos, a little of spicy pico. It was a good kiss with no demand of secrecy or urgency behind it, as Dan had encountered when kissing other dates. He and Tommy liked each other, the kids appeared to approve, and the sun was sinking over the horizon pink and orange behind them.

They kissed for a while, until Dan felt loose and happy and a little kiss-drunk. He leaned back but moved his hand down to cover Tommy's where it splayed against his thigh. "If I haven't been obvious," he said, "I like you and would very much like to see where this goes."

Tommy nodded. "Just to be up front, I'm probably not going to be any good at this - like I said, I haven't dated much in a while - but I want to try."

Dan turned his hand over and laced their fingers together. "That's fine. We can try together."

\-- 

Tommy was still unloading some things from the car when Ellie bounced up beside him and pointed off toward the ocean. "I see them. Can I go?"

He looked over his shoulder in the same general direction, kind of making out Dan and Jamie set up on the beach. "Yeah, all right -" But he caught her from racing off by grabbing the strap of her backpack. "Wait. Take Lucca." He handed off the dog's lead to his daughter. "But don't let her go into the water until I get there. Oh, and take this too." He pushed the tote bag with beach towels in it at her, and leveled a look at her before she could protest.

"Okay, okay, anything else?" Ellie wasn't even a teenager yet and she already had that exasperated 'ugh, Dad' tone down. It hurt Tommy's heart to hear it and think about how many birthdays she's already had and how many more there were to come and how quickly time has passed and -

"No, that's it. I'll be right there."

"Great!" She twisted Lucca's lead around her wrist and took off, at a pace not quite at a run but definitely not a walk either, toward the beach.

Tommy shook his head and gathered up everything else they needed for a day at the beach - the cooler, his messenger bag, two chairs, another bag with sunscreen and snacks and everything else in it. He realized he should have given Ellie more to carry, when it became clear that he couldn't carry what was left in one trip.

"Need a hand?" Dan's gruff question made Tommy smile, and he turned, one bag already slung over his shoulder, to see him walking toward the car. 

Tommy leaned in for a kiss, his fingers brushing Dan's side as he stepped in close. He meant it to be a quick greeting, but despite his best intentions, it turned into a longer kiss, the kind where Dan's hands came up to frame Tommy's face and their lips lingered. When Dan pulled away, Tommy felt a little dazed, and he said, "Hey, thanks," through a smile.

As they'd learned over the last few weeks, they couldn't really get enough of each other, especially considering the fact that they hadn't really had a chance to spend any significant amount of time alone together yet. 

Dan grinned at him as he reached around Tommy for the cooler. "Did you bring sunscreen? I forgot it and Jamie refuses to remove any of their layers until we get our hands on some."

Tommy gathered up everything else and closed and locked the car. "Oh yeah, I've got a big tube," he said. "I burn like a lobster in boiling water." He Boston-emphasized the joke.

It got Dan to laugh, which made Tommy preen, and he leaned in toward Dan when his hand came up along Tommy's back as they crossed the sand to get to Jamie, Ellie, and Lucca. "I don't know why," Tommy said as they got to the blanket Dan had already spread out and unloaded themselves, "but I keep forgetting how close we are to the beach, living out here."

Once Jamie and Ellie headed down to the water's edge, Tommy spread himself out on the blanket and stripped off his shirt. "Do you mind -?" He held out a tube of sunscreen for Dan to take.

He smiled. "Of course not."

Tommy turned, gave Dan his bare back. Her heard the squirt of sunscreen out of the bottle. He held his breath as Dan's big hands started slathering the lotion over his skin. It was innocent enough. Tommy needed sunscreen on his back and he couldn't reach. It was something he might ask Ellie to do. Or Jon, if he was at the beach with him. But Jon's hands didn't feel like this.

His skin burned, not from the sun, as Dan rubbed the sunscreen in. His thumbs pressed into the small of Tommy's back, up the sides of his spine to his shoulders, the back of his neck. "You have so many freckles," Dan said, his voice low, close to Tommy's ear. His hands seemed to press into each one of them. 

Tommy closed his eyes and tried to breathe normally.

It turned into a mini massage, and Tommy imagined lying on his stomach on his bed, Dan's hands over him like this but more. He coughed, angled away slightly. "Thanks." Tommy knew that the way he croaked out just that one word told Dan exactly how this had affected him. 

Dan brushed his mouth, a whisper against the curve of his shoulder. Tommy might have imagined it. "You're welcome."

Tommy twisted enough that he was close to Dan, close enough to lean in and kiss him. He thought about all the things he could say, thanking Dan for the invitation to the beach, how nice the weather always is in Los Angeles, if he wanted to leave the kids with Jon and Emily and go away for a long weekend -- but abandoned them all in his focus on kissing Dan in the late morning heat, the smell of sea salt and sunscreen in the air, Dan's fingers wrapped over his waist. Their kiss was interrupted by a sprinkle of cold water showering over them and accompanied by synchronous giggling.

Tommy pulled back. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?

"Stop kissing and come swimming."

At least the sun masked Tommy's blush. "Yeah, yeah, we're coming." 

Dan's hand slipped down Tommy's back as Tommy stood up. "I'm going to stay here and man the blanket."

"Oh, come on, Dad," Jamie urged.

"Yeah, come on, Dan." Tommy's cheeks hurt from smiling. He couldn't pinpoint the last time he felt this relaxed in happiness. 

"Hard pass. Go, have fun."

The kids tugged on Tommy's arms until he relented and chased them across the sand. He couldn't help but look back at Dan over his shoulder, burning inside and out at the realization that Dan was staring right back.

\--

"Have I mentioned yet how much I hate wearing ties?" Tommy lifted a hand like he was going to tug at it, again, but Dan stopped him, fingers against his wrist. They stood in front of the mirror in their hotel room, and Dan watched Tommy raise his gaze to meet his in the mirror. 

"A few times, yes," Dan said, eyes bright and ready to laugh but he swallowed it down and instead leaned in close, nosing lightly behind Tommy's ear. "Have I mentioned how good you look?" He felt Tommy shiver beside him, which he'd done every time so far when Dan complimented him like that.

Dan liked a well-fitting suit, especially on attractive men. And on Tommy, it was especially attractive. Tailored slacks that made his legs a mile long, the sharp cut of his suit coat, the crease of the lapel, stark white shirt, knowing that the collar and tie hid a collarbone and throat that Dan had sucked deep red marks onto just that morning. It was the farthest they'd been able to get so far, without an interruption. He hoped they wouldn't have any interruptions later that night.

Tommy slid his hand into Dan's. "Thanks for coming to this with me," he said.

Dan touched his face and kissed him. "Of course. When else would I ever find myself at a celebrity-filled social event?" 

Tommy chuckled. "Believe me, I was just as surprised when I got the invite."

"I know."

They'd had this conversation before, when Tommy first asked Dan to be his date to his friend's wedding. "I know it's asking a lot," he'd said, about the commitment - the wedding was across the country in Connecticut, and would take a long weekend, but yes, the kids could come too, one of the grooms had a very big extended family with a lot of kids - "So I'd understand if you say no."

"Sounds great," Dan had said, without a second thought, "especially if it means I get to see you in a suit." Maybe he should have thought this through, but they'd been dating now for a few months and Jamie and Ellie got along great. Even though a cross-country trip meant days off work and the cost of air travel and, well, a commitment, Dan wanted to spend as much time as possible with Tommy. He wanted their relationship to be more, and Tommy asking him to be his wedding date, Dan thought, seemed to show he wanted the same.

Tommy had blushed all the way down his throat and Dan learned shortly after that just how far down that blush spread. 

With two hotel rooms for the wedding weekend, Dan was taking full advantage. So far there hadn't been any issues with leaving Jamie and Ellie in the other room. They were both responsible for their age, and with a connecting door between them, Dan knew if there was a problem, they'd know about it.

The wedding was great, a loud and crowded affair, with vows full both laughter and tears. As the ceremony wrapped up, Dan leaned over to Tommy, a hand on his thigh, and told him that he thought that seemed like the best way to start a marriage. Tommy leaned a shoulder against Dan's and agreed.

At the reception, under a tent in the cool New England late summer air, Dan pressed a glass of whiskey on the rocks into Tommy's hand and bent down to kiss him. "Nice wedding," he said. 

Tommy brightened. "Yeah, it was. Hey, I want to introduce you to Lovett and Ronan."

Dan let Tommy lead him around the edge of the dance floor over to where the grooms were holding court. 

"Tommy Vietor! I'm so glad you came." Tommy was pulled into a tight hug.

"Thanks, Lovett. Hey, congratulations. To you too, Ronan." A second hug by him too.

"Thank you, Thomas. I saw Eleanor with some of my niblings earlier. I think they already got into the pie table."

"Sounds like Ellie," Tommy said. 

Dan could tell Lovett and Ronan were both trying to be polite and not ask about Dan. He curled his fingers against Tommy's back. "Oh, right, hey uh - Lovett, Ronan, this is my - boyfriend - Dan Pfeiffer."

They hadn't specifically discussed their status or the way to describe it, and Dan felt much the same way Tommy seemed to as he stumbled a little over the word 'boyfriend.' It harkened back to high school or college, not a relationship descriptor for two single dads in their late-thirties, early-forties. But Dan didn't know what other word they might use, and 'boyfriend' did make his stomach swoop and the back of his neck grow hot. He _liked_ it.

Lovett bounced with energy, his shoulder hitched against the side of his husband's chest. "Boyfriend? Tommy, you didn't mention you were bringing a _boyfriend_."

Tommy tilted his head to the side leveling a look not dissimilar to one he might give Ellie when she rolled her eyes at him at Lovett. "Did you want me to write a note on my RSVP that said 'this plus-one' is for my boyfriend and his kid?"

Lovett's eyes widened. "Yes, I did!"

"Is that who I saw with Eleanor?" Ronan asked, cutting Lovett off. 

Dan grinned. "Yeah, they're mine. Jamie is very excited to be here, though it's possible they're slightly more excited about our day in New York City tomorrow." They had planned a Sunday in New York all together before separating to go their own ways, Tommy taking Ellie to DC to see her mother, and Dan heading with Jamie to Delaware to see Dan's parents. "Hopefully they won't wear themselves out on pie and sodas and can still enjoy tomorrow."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Tommy said. 

Lovett looked between the two of them grinning from ear to ear. "Don't think you're getting off the hook telling me all about how this -" He gestured wildly with his whole arm up and down at Dan, "-manifested, but it's my wedding reception and this song necessitates that I dance with my _husband_, so if you'll excuse us …" He tugged on Ronan until he relented and then they were off on the dance floor, swaying haphazardly to the tune of "Love You Like That."

Dan and Tommy watched them go for a moment, quiet. "Speaking of," Dan said, holding his hand out, palm up, to Tommy. "Would my _boyfriend_ like to dance with me?"

A flush spread out across Tommy's skin as he took Dan's hand and they walked out to join the other dancing couples. "I'd love to."

By the time Ellie and Jamie were half-asleep and ready to go, so were Dan and Tommy. But even with a few drinks in them and the exhaustion from traveling and a party, too, Dan knew that he and Tommy might not be sleeping much just yet. Well, he hoped not, at least. He had other things on his mind.

Dan got out of his jacket and tie quickly, smiling over at Tommy when he saw he had done the same. "So. Your boyfriend, huh?" He sat on the edge of the bed, spread his thighs to make room for Tommy to stand between them.

"It's a little juvenile, I know, but it gets the point across." Tommy didn't waste a moment before sliding his hands up Dan's shoulders, to the back of his neck so he could lean in and kiss him slowly. He pulled back, enough so he could ask, "I should have asked you before. Is that okay? Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

Dan's body rumbled with laughter and he pressed his fingers into the hair at Tommy's temples. "God, yes, I want to be your boyfriend," he said. 

The end of the word got lost as they kissed, Tommy pushing Dan onto his back on the bed so he could crawl over him. All of Dan's attention turned to getting the rest of that very nice, very good looking suit off of Tommy. One button at a time took too long but he didn't have any other options. Once he got Tommy's shirt open, he put his hands under his t-shirt, on bare skin.

"Yes," Tommy said. He sat up, a knee on either side of Dan's thighs, and pulled his shirt off. He tossed it somewhere behind him then went to Dan's belt, hands shaking.

Dan wrapped his fingers around Tommy's wrist, stilling him. "Hey," he said hoarsely. "You okay?" His chest heaved a little, thighs tight under Tommy's weight.

"Yeah, Tommy said. "I just - I'm really excited but also a little nervous." 

Dan smiled, warm all over. "Me too," he admitted. He moved his hands to Tommy's thighs and squeezed gently.

Dan and Tommy had already talked about this, the expectations they both had around sex, any hang-ups they had, past histories. Dan knew it had been a while since Tommy had had sex with a man, years, really, not since college. They'd gone slow up until now, had found time to do as much as they thought they could get away with without complete privacy. But tonight? Tonight they were going to cross that final line together.

Relief passed across Tommy's face, and he bent down to kiss Dan in what Dan thought he must have meant to be softer, quick, and it was anything but. Dan curled a hand around the side of Tommy's neck and opened up the kiss until he felt a little lightheaded. "We don't have to rush," he said, pulling back enough to speak but not enough that their lips weren't still touching.

Tommy nodded. "Okay," he said. He shifted over Dan, rubbing against him. They both moaned. "Okay," he said again, and then they were kissing and touching and Dan was falling even though he was already flat on his back.

\--

The next morning, Dan opened his eyes when he heard a knock. It took a disoriented moment for him to realize it was on the connecting door. Then another moment, and another knock, to check that he and Tommy were both wearing boxers, before he got up to check the door. 

Both Jamie and Ellie stood on the other side. "Morning, Dad," Jamie said cheerily. They were always a bit of a morning person. "Oh, good, you're both up."

Behind Dan, Tommy groaned. "We are now."

Ellie giggled. "Can we get room service for breakfast?" she asked. 

At Dan's hesitation, they both turned on the prepubescent charm. "Please?" Jamie added.

Dan looked back at Tommy, who had sat up in bed with the room service menu already in hand. "Yeah, sure. Come on in."

Ellie went straight for her dad, climbing up to cuddle with him on the bed. "Do they have pancakes?"

Jamie hugged Dan around the middle and said, "So, when are you and Tommy gonna do this?" 

The two of them joined Ellie and Tommy on the big hotel room bed, the menus spread out in front of them. "When are we going to do what?"

"Get married," Ellie said.

Dan looked at Tommy, glad to see a mirror expression on his face, one of surprise and maybe a little terror. "Oh, uh -"

"Well," Tommy started. Dan was glad to see Tommy was as flabbergasted about this as he was. Being on the same page as his boyfriend was good.

"Because me and Jamie talked about it last night," Ellie rushed on, an excited edge to her tone. "And we're both okay with it. I mean, I want Jamie to be my sibling. That would be cool. If you both wanted to get married."

"That's probably a long way off, sweetheart," Tommy said. "But it's not - it's not out of the question. We have to see how it all goes."

Jamie looked up from reading a menu. "We just wanted you both to know we're okay with it."

"We appreciate that, kiddo," Dan said, ruffling Jamie's hair. He held Tommy's gaze for a moment over top of their kids' heads. He smiled. So did Tommy.

"All right," Tommy said, interrupting the suddenly charged silence among them all, "pancakes for everyone?"

No one objected, and Dan found Tommy's hand between them on the bed and covered it with his own.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated <3


End file.
